What a perfectly gorgeous summer it is here in the Pacific Northwest. The white scented lilies from my garden make my dreams like something out of “Midsummer Night’s Dream”! It’s true–weeding and working in the yard pays off with gifts galore.

Meanwhile, the community veggie garden is filled with goodies. Evenings find me down there gathering zukes, tomatoes, and lots of other offerings for summer supper. For the first time, I actually set traps for crabbing from my kayak. Didn’t get anything, but, hey, it was my virgin voyage!

Hope you are all healthy and taking it one day at a time.

Love,
Rebecca

]]>0robinkhttp://creosotehill.orghttp://www.rebeccawellsbooks.com/?p=4652013-06-09T02:04:31Z2013-06-09T02:04:31ZSearching For Womanhood, Mary Ann Wilson, Deep South Magazine
]]>0robinkhttp://creosotehill.orghttp://www.rebeccawellsbooks.com/?p=4542013-03-29T05:22:10Z2013-03-29T05:22:10ZSpring is officially here. On the island where I live in Puget Sound, you can smell the blossoms, the fresh-cut grass. You can eat organic food. Sip tea in a cafe. Play with your dog. Feel safe. That’s good. Nothing to feel guilty about.

Along with the Spring Equinox, this past week also saw the 10th anniversary of the US invasion of Iran. We are still seeing the fall-out from that war, and will be for generations. When I pray this week, I pray for all those who suffer from the murders involved.

I was at a gathering the other night, and when I used the word “murder” to refer to the taking of life during wars, a friend questioned my use of the verb “murdered.” He reminded me that “murder” is used to describe an act that involves the taking of life in a manner that is not sanctioned by society. ”Kill” is the term used for the taking of life in war.

I don’t split those hairs.

It’s Holy Week in the Christian tradition. A time when we pray and meditate about death and re-birth.

I can’t do that without acknowledging the unnecessary suffering that so many of our brothers and sisters endure. You know, sometimes you want to think pretty pink and blue thoughts. You put on a hat, a pretty white dress. You dance around. But there’s no getting around it–at least not for me–there’s a black ooze of sadness, born out of greed, that needs attention.

So, when I walk my dog Mercy, and we pass that huge willow that’s coming on green, I murmur prayers for the soldiers. I think about forgiveness. I wonder if I should be marching in the street in addition to strolling in the park.

Ever have those kinds of thoughts?

The bud, the sky, the good supper, greed, heroes, death, life, all of it wraps around and lands right inside this very moment. The only moment we have.

This is worth watching. It’s real. Maybe too real. But, for me, there’s an unreality in this Holy Week if we don’t include Tomas Young.

I’m six years old in this photo. How hard I tried to please an old white God. Never could. Every Friday, I’d end up in the confessional, making up sins.

I still believe in God. Her face is that of Our Lady or Guadelupe. She is the one who holds me. She is the one whose sweetness helps me breathe through the fear.

The new pope steps out. He chose the name of St. Francis. My prayer for you, new Pope, is that you’ll grow a heart big enough to embrace the power of the feminine, one open enough to respect the wide world of different expressions of love. That you’ll spread your arms wide, in an embrace of inclusion.

We’re all pilgrims here. Each of us, walking. Left, right, breathe. One foot in front of the other.

Hints of spring here in the Pacific Northwest. Daffodils peaking out in the back-yard. Clean-up from windy, windy, long winter.

I’m working on two new books. Never been a fast writer, but I try to be true!

All of life beckons. Face the fear, and miracles happen.

Take care, and keep thinking…

Pink and blue thoughts,

Rebecca

]]>0rebeccawellsbkshttp://www.rebeccawellsbooks.comhttp://www.rebeccawellsbooks.com/?p=4382012-10-26T16:04:27Z2012-10-26T16:04:27ZIt’s about time I posted, to say hello, and to give an update about Lyme disease. My news is that I am doing swell! I’m blessed to say that I think of Lyme disease in the past tense. Maybe not “past perfect,” but definitely “past!”

After one rough row to hoe, I’m walking, talking, prissing, bicycling, playing bossy badminton (must say that I’m pretty good!), kayaking, cross-country skiing, and living a life which is full and funny, imperfectly perfect, or perfectly imperfect, take your pick. My body’s a good, strong body, and I thank it for taking me through the eye of the Lyme storm.

As I write, I think of those of you who are still battling the terror of the tick. I’m here to tell you: Things will change. It will get better. Breathe in and breathe out. Keep eating well. Keep doing any single bit of exercise you can do. Keep the faith, knowing there are so many people praying for you—people you don’t know, and whom you’ll never meet. They are praying for you right now.

In 2005, a very hard year for me, my friend Patty, asked me if she could ask a good friend of hers to pray for me. I said yes, but asked that she not mention my name. In 2010, I met Mary, the woman who had been praying for me daily. She had only been told I needed prayer.

When we met, it was part of a prayer fabric that I’ve always thought I believed in, but never really, really got it. But, when she and I sat down, holding hands, she looked at me, and said, “For all these years, I have called you ‘Miss Tree.’” I laughed. “How funny. How did you come up with that?” I was a little slow on the uptake. “You were a mystery, Rebecca. So I named you ‘Miss Tree.’” And I held you in my heart every day.

We sat there in the parlor, holding hands, and crying.

There are people reading this and people who have come and gone, people who have held me in their prayers and I will never meet them. But they were part of my healing as much as any anti-biotic I swallowed.

I’m not advocating that you stop whatever protocol you’re on. I am saying: you have a band of earth angels who are pulling for you, as they pulled for me. And what you are going through now will become a memory. Things will not stay the same. Everything will change.

Do not be ashamed of your pain. Do not be afraid of it. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. No sense in suffering twice (or a zillion times, if you tend toward obsessing, a very easy pattern to fall into when your body hurts so bad.)

Thank the people who love you, the people who listen to you. Forgive them when they go about living their healthy lives. They give all they can, and we must celebrate their giving, and celebrate ourselves for wearing Lyme lightly. By that, I don’t mean to deny it’s happening, but to claim joy every single, solitary chance you get, and forgive everything. Yourself, your wife, your husband, your parents, your children, your siblings, the people at work, the tick itself. The more we forgive, the lighter the load. And I’m sure you’ve all heard a great deal about the “load.”

Listen to as much music as you can. If you can walk, dance. If you can dance, get down on your knees and say “Thank you.”

My mother, Sister Jordan Wells, at 84, says when she dies, she wants me to say just one thing for her: “Sistah says thanks!”

That’s what I want to say, now: “Thanks!”

And 84,000 Blessings to those of you who read the stories I write, especially those of you who are suffering in any way. And especially, especially for those of you who suffer from Lyme disease: Bless you real good. I’m praying for you. I used to think my own band of heaven-angels was tired until they told me loud and clear that they don’t get tired. I tend to believe you have your own band of heavenly (for lack of a better word) angels, and they do not get tired. Turn your pillow over to the cool side when you lie down to take a nap. Close your eyes for a moment, breathe in and breathe out, and realize what a miracle it is, that breath. Feel the angels, both earth and heaven-sent around you, and please—believe me, when I say that everything is going to be alright.

I’m going to dance to some more Van Morrison now, then go for an almost Blue Moon walk with Mercy, my spaniel. I’ll dance for you and I’ll walk for you, and together, we will all do more than survive. We’ll thrive. As they’d say it in my Louisiana: “Ain’t no tick gone take my baby from me. Ain’t no tick gone win this bourre game.”

Laughing, skipping, and jumping for joy, but not for a minute forgetting,

]]>1Rebeccahttp://http://www.rebeccawellsbooks.com/?p=4352010-11-27T23:05:41Z2010-11-27T23:05:41ZSweet potato souffle, cornbread dressing, golden-brown turkey, pecan pie… sound familiar? I can’t help thinking of all the tasty dishes that traditionally cover my family’s table at Thanksgiving. Who can resist a big pile of smashed potatoes drowning in rich gravy? I love it all – the menu planning, shopping at my favorite markets, baking pies and roasting that big bird. I could eat myself into a coma (although I swear I do try to be just a little bit reasonable!)

At this time of year, when gathering around the table for a meal with friends and loved ones, I can’t help thinking of all the people who find themselves without the resources to put together this kind of feast. I think about those who go to bed hungry night after night, those who have to choose between paying the heat bill and buying groceries. This should not happen in the richest country in the world.

Thankfully (there’s that word again!) there are wonderful, caring people working diligently to help those who can’t feed their families. Local food banks staffed by volunteers are finding themselves staring at bare shelves wondering what they will do to help feed the hungry. We can help our neighbors – and we should! I spent a few minutes today doing a web search to find a local food pantry, and my personal action plan includes dropping off food as often as I can. I hope you will join me in this effort. I know times are hard and we’re all trying to do more with less these days. Every little bit helps. Here’s a great resource that may help you as you look for ways to help feed the hungry in your community:

http://feedingamerica.org/

84,000 Thanksgiving blessings

Rebecca

]]>0Rebeccahttp://http://www.rebeccawellsbooks.com/?p=4322010-11-15T12:17:01Z2010-11-15T12:17:01ZThe Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society is a nationally recognized non-profit arts organization sponsoring the renowned Words & Music arts festival; the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition; the Double Dealer literary journal; outreach programs for high school and college students; continuing education; and a year-round calendar of literary events including My New Orleans, Meet the Author and other events which honor and assist writers.

Our most ambitious annual event, Words & Music, a Literary Feast in New Orleans, will take place November 17-21 and will feature a star-studded cast of literary celebrities, including Louisiana darlings of the arts.

Just a reminder to vote. Vote for the kindest person with the best record for caring for the “least among us.” Those who are hungry, homeless, and needy. Peace, patience, and understanding that our president cannot turn this boat around right away. Belief that change is possible. That we must take care of Mother Earth if she is to continue taking care of us.

Where you see ugliness, turn the other way, and vote for beauty. Keep money for children, not fat cats. Vote for those who Work hard so those who need to eat, stay warm, and live a life that is less painful. Say “no” to greed. Say “yes” to the real possibility that we may live in a world that values love!

Me, I go with the Democrats. Lord knows they are far from perfect, but they step out with bigger hearts. Here in Washington State, I’m gonna do my best to help elect Patty Murray again. Look closely; talk loudly; vote proudly; pray in your own way, and reach out to others so that we “speak truth to power.”

]]>0Rebeccahttp://http://www.rebeccawellsbooks.com/?p=4252010-10-18T21:28:28Z2010-10-18T21:28:28ZThe Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society is a nationally recognized non-profit arts organization sponsoring the renowned Words & Music arts festival; the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition; the Double Dealer literary journal; outreach programs for high school and college students; continuing education; and a year-round calendar of literary events including My New Orleans, Meet the Author and other events which honor and assist writers.

Words & Music, a Literary Feast in New Orleans, will take place
November 17-21 and I will be there!